Total pages in book: 48
Estimated words: 45266 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45266 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 151(@300wpm)
Gavin carried her out of the strange room.
She wanted to look around and familiarize herself with his home, but she couldn’t break her gaze from his. There was a magnetic pull between them. Her mother never mentioned anything like this. Then again, apparently her mother never knew this would happen.
Molly was freaking out inside. Her heart felt like it would beat out of her chest. Fear and curiosity were at war. Neither was winning.
The sound of a door opening and closing was all she registered before she realized they were outside. The cool evening breeze hit her face and whipped her hair around.
Gavin set her butt on some kind of ledge, but he kept his arms around her. “Take a deep breath, Baby girl.”
She nodded.
He chuckled. “Molly… You have to breathe.”
Was she not breathing? She inhaled deeply.
“That’s my girl. Maybe the cool mountain air will help.”
She scrunched up her face and shook her head.
He chuckled. “Yeah, it’s not helping, is it?”
She gripped his neck. “I don’t understand.”
“It’s the bond, Little one. It’s intense. It will increase with every passing moment.”
Molly took another deep breath. “I want…” She had no idea how to finish that statement.
He set his forehead against hers. “I know, Little one. I do too. There are a lot of things I need to explain to you. Can you focus enough to listen to Daddy?”
She nodded. “I think so.” She twisted her head around to look over her shoulder. He had settled her on the wooden railing that extended around a deck. It was a long way down to the ground.
“I won’t let you fall, Baby girl. Never.”
She shivered. She trusted him, but she was still nervous.
He must have sensed that because he scooped her off the barrier and moved to sit on a porch swing, keeping her on his lap. He held her hands with one of his large ones.
She looked down at their connection against her thighs. His hand was so big that it swallowed hers entirely. “When you touch me…”
“Yeah. I know. But I’m not going to stop touching you. I can’t imagine when I’ll stop touching you for any reason.”
She couldn’t imagine it either, if she was honest. His touch scared the bejesus out of her, but at the same time, she never wanted it to end.
He gave her hands a squeeze. “There are a lot of customs we live by up in the mountains that are nothing like the ones you’re aware of in the valley.”
“Like the fact that you’re going to cook? Surely you were kidding.”
He chuckled.
She loved that sound so much, and she liked the way her entire body shook on his lap as he laughed.
“I’m not kidding. Not only will I cook, but I will also take pleasure in feeding you.”
She frowned. “Feeding me?”
“Yep. Sometimes I will feed you from my plate or your own. Other times I will give you a bottle.”
She gasped. “A bottle?”
“You already had one while you were still sleeping. I didn’t want you to wake up starving.”
“I sucked from a bottle?” This was hard to believe. How could she have slept through something like that?
“The potion I gave you really knocked you out, Baby girl. You slept for hours.” He lifted her hands to his lips and kissed her knuckles. He did that a lot, as if he couldn’t stop himself.
She liked it.
“The biggest thing no one could have explained to you is how strong the bond is between Alpha Protectors and their mates. It’s intense. You’re already aware. This sensation is going to continue to grow. It’s nature’s way of pressuring us to consummate our mating.”
She shuddered. “Consummate. You mean have sex.”
“Yes. I will never rush you, Molly. We will have sex when you’re ready. I don’t care how long it takes. I want you to be comfortable. But I will warn you that it will be hard to ignore. We will both be restless until we cross that line. After I’ve been inside you, your body will begin the process of preparing for your first shift.”
“That’s the same in the valley,” she pointed out.
“Yes. The logistics are the same. The strong unwavering urge is not.”
That made sense.
“No one will bother us for several weeks unless there’s a particular concern among the Alphas. It’s customary to give newly mated couples time alone. And trust me, we’ll be grateful for every moment of that time.”
For some odd reason, she understood. If he were to set her down and walk away right now, she would feel the loss deeply.
A noise somewhere in the mountains made her sit up taller and look around.
“What’s wrong, Little one?”
“Nothing. I just heard a noise. It’s so loud out here. Not like in the valley.”
He was frowning when she turned her gaze back to his. “Loud?”
“Yes. The sounds of nature I mean. I never heard them in town.”